Healing Through Food

Enzymes Behind the Scenes: Making Food Tasty, Fresh, or Spoiled When we are eating a plate of juicy mangoes during summer, or have smelt that fresh loaf of bread in the bakery, we are seldom thinking of those little helpers at work in our food. These helpers are enzymes. Not to be seen with the naked eye, they nonetheless silently dictate taste, the duration of food preservation, and even when food begins to go bad.  In this paper we shall consider what enzymes actually are, what their effect is on our daily food, and why they are our friends and at times our enemies. I will do it plain--no serious science vocabulary. You can always think of it as a friendly conversation with the secret workers of your kitchen table.   What Exactly Are Enzymes? Imagine a group of workers in a factory. Every employee has special occupation--some cut, some join, some clean up. Enzymes are such employees, it is within our food. They are protein compounds of nature which accelerate little rea...

Do You Know That Microbes Fight for Food? The Hidden Battle Behind Spoilage      We open the fridge and find that the milk has gotten sour, the bread has spots on it, the fruits have gone mushy, and we tend to think, Oh, no, it is spoiled! But have you ever wondered what is really going there? Not only food spoiling on its own--it is, in fact, a hidden battlefield where tiny microbes are fighting over food , space, and existence. Sounds surprising, right? We will simplify it down into simple words.   What Are Microbes and Why Do They Matter? Microbes are small living organisms that are not visible to the eye. There are good ones, such as those in curd that make it taste good and healthy. Others are not good, such as the ones that lead to food poisoning. And then there are some that just fight with each other as children over the remaining bit of cake.  Any piece of food--be it rice, bread, fruits, or even that packet of chips--can be turned into a play...